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About the Music
franz schubert (1797–1828)
String Quartet in C Minor, D. 703, “Quartettsatz”
(1820)
by Benjamin Manis, cellist in the Bachelor of Music program of the
Colburn Conservatory of Music
Like his Unfinished Symphony, it is not known why Schubert
chose to leave his String Quartet, D. 703, incomplete.
He composed a complete first movement (now called
“Quartettsatz”) and 41 bars of a second movement before
setting the work aside; although Schubert left several other
quartet fragments, this is the only one substantial enough to
be performed. Various theories have been promoted. One
suggests the quartet, the first of his mature period, was not progressive enough for the
23-year-old Schubert. It may seem strange to refer someone so young as entering his mature
period, but Schubert had recently given up teaching to devote himself entirely to composition
and was beginning to challenge and deepen his previous style.
Another theory postulates that the completed movement was so profound he was not yet
able to compose subsequent movements that matched its emotional scope and power; that
ability would come years later with his three great last quartets, written in 1824 and 1826.
In any case, the work was left unpublished and unplayed until the manuscript came into
the possession of a young Johannes Brahms, who organized the premiere in 1867 and first
publication in 1870.
The music itself is composed of two distinct sound worlds: the dark, nervous sixteenth
notes that begin the movement, and the typical Schubertian lyrical second subject, a songlike
melody which just as easily could have found itself in one of Schubert’s hundreds of lieder.
Though the movement is in sonata form, Schubert modifies the form to include not two but
three key areas in the exposition. Beginning in C minor, the second theme is in A-flat major, a
relationship by third commonly found in Schubert. A closing theme group in G major,
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the traditional key of the second theme, ends the exposition. In the development section,
Schubert pits the two contrasting characters set up in the exposition against each other,
finally putting them back in the correct order in the recapitulation. The “Quartettsatz” ends
with the theme that began the movement in a C minor fiery coda.
Sätze for String Quartet, Op. 5 (1909)
anton webern (1883–1945)
by Michael Marks, double bassist in the Bachelor of Music
program of the Colburn Conservatory of Music
A prominent disciple of Arnold Schoenberg and member
of the Second Viennese School, Anton Webern grew up
with an intellectual curiosity for music. In his youth, he
was fascinated by Wagner and attended performances of
The Flying Dutchman and Parsifal at Bayreuth; his eventual
position as heir to the Germanic tradition is rooted in these
early experiences.
Webern’s study with Schoenberg, particularly in methods for organizing music without
reliance on traditional harmony, is clearly manifest in this early string quartet. Written in
1909 after he had completed formal studies with Schoenberg, Webern realized that the new
compositional frontier had no place for traditional tertian harmony. The atonal work is archlike in structure: the first movement corresponds to the fifth, the second to the fourth, and
the third is the fulcrum of the work, unique in both texture and sonority. This arch effect is
aurally enhanced by Webern’s innovative compression of each of the five movements into a
ground-breaking atonal, 130-measure, 12-minute string quartet.
The first movement, marked only Heftig bewegt (“Move suddenly”), begins with a frenzied
outburst before a sudden and self-conscious diminuendo into a soft and nervous ensemble.
This nervous energy is enhanced by a flurry of coloristic effects brought about by Webern’s
use of various string techniques including col legno, directing the performer to strike the
string with the stick of the bow. Heftig bewegt is a condensed sonata form, though difficult
to hear. The music repeated in the recapitulation is distorted and arranged slightly differently
than in the exposition. Webern uses the interval of the augmented octave as a compositional
building block, beginning the movement with the interval and repeating it five times to
conclude this 55-measure movement.
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The second movement, lasting only 14 measures, is a study in anxiety and paranoia. Webern
instructs the musicians to mute their instruments and never rise above pianissimo. The
viola begins with a haunting and anxious melody that makes its way through the upper three
instruments quickly and ends pianississimo with the instruction Verklingend (“Dying away
into nothing”).
The scherzo-like third movement begins with a quiet yet incessant pizzicato quarter-note
pulse in the low range of the cello. This movement’s quick character, tempo, and dynamic
changes make it a wild chase to the finish line, which culminates with a roaring crescendo, in
stark contrast to the previous movement. This crescendo is the first time Webern has set the
quartet in unison, effectively accentuating the halfway point of the work.
Just as succinct and eerie as the second movement and with the same tempo marking of
Sehr langsam, the fourth movement serves as the counterbalance to movement two. The
viola begins once again, this time with a repeated figure consisting of an ascending whole
step. The violin interjects for a few measures with its own intervallic melody before returning
it to the viola in rhythmic pizzicato. The movement ends with an unearthly solo second violin
played sul ponticello, with the bow near the bridge, resulting in higher harmonics and a thin,
supernatural sound.
The finale, marked In zarter bewegung (“In delicate motion”) is full of meter changes, special
effects, and minute fluctuations in tempo. This movement contains instructions to adjust
tempo 26 times in as many measures. Each instrument’s rhythm complements what came
before and Webern’s intricate interweavings and dynamic swells invoke a sense of agitation
and amorphousness. After a single escaped forte from the ensemble, the quartet begins to
die away both in tempo and dynamic energy, bringing Sätze to an unsettling close.
franz schubert
Octet for Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, Two Violins,
Viola, Cello, and Double Bass in F Major, D. 803
(1824)
by Usha Kapoor, violinist in the Artist Diploma program of the
Colburn Conservatory of Music
Born in Vienna, Franz Schubert grew up studying violin
with his father and piano with his brother. When he was 11,
Antonio Salieri, a renowned teacher in Vienna, recognized
Schubert’s musical abilities and brought him to study at the
Stadtkonvikt (Imperial Seminary) with a scholarship to sing
in the choir. It was there Schubert was introduced to
Mozart and Haydn symphonies and began formal training in theory, conducting, and
composition with Salieri. By the time he was 18, Schubert had written nine church works, a
symphony, and about 140 lieder.
During his lifetime, Schubert was known and respected as a composer within a small circle
of Viennese musicians and court aristocracy. It was not until after his death, however, that
Schubert became widely recognized as a monumental figure of the early Romantic era due
in part to the fact that Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt, and Robert Schumann continued
to play Schubert’s music after his death. Johannes Brahms also championed Schubert’s
music, especially by bringing works to the attention of his publisher, Simrock, who
published much of Schubert’s work posthumously.
In 1824, Schubert was commissioned by Count Ferdinand von Troyer, chief steward to
Archduke Rudolph, to compose a piece featuring the count’s own instrument, the clarinet.
Von Troyer asked that Schubert’s work be modeled after Beethoven’s popular 1799 Septet in
E-flat Major, Op. 20, scored for violin, viola, cello, double bass, horn, bassoon, and clarinet.
Schubert agreed, but added a second violin to Beethoven’s scoring to create the octet
heard today. Schubert closely models his octet after Beethoven’s septet, casting it in six
movements of similar character to its predecessor. Both begin with an Adagio-Allegro first
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movement, include a theme and variations fourth movement flanked by dance movements,
and end with an Andante-Allegro finale. In contrast to the earlier work, Schubert’s octet is
conceived on a more symphonic scale and takes a full hour to perform, while Beethoven’s
lasts only about 35 minutes.
Schubert begins the octet with a brooding Adagio introduction that seems to indicate
forthcoming dissonance. However, the first violin abruptly changes the character,
marking the tonal center as F major and, without hesitation, jumps into the Allegro
with quick passage work that keeps the mood light and energetic. The clarinet takes the
lead throughout the movement, helping ease transitions between cheerful and somber
character. The second movement Adagio opens with the clarinet accompanied by the
strings. The rhythmic foundation from the double bass and bassoon keep the movement
flowing as the upper voices play sweeping melodies throughout.
The third movement, Scherzo, marked Allegro vivace, begins with a series of sharp
dynamic contrasts and dotted rhythms that create a dance-like feeling. This is followed
by a Trio initially for strings alone, to which Schubert soon adds the clarinet; the entire
ensemble joins for the return to the Allegro vivace.
Like Beethoven’s septet, Schubert’s theme and variations fourth movement serves as a
sort of fulcrum for the work. Schubert’s theme is an aria-like melody introduced by the first
violin and set over an accompaniment of simple syncopated rhythms, creating an
upbeat feel. As the movement progresses, the variations become increasingly complex
before ending with a peaceful chord that helps set the mood for the Menuetto that
follows. The simplest of the six, this penultimate dance movement begins with a lush
string sound that springs into joyful fragments of melodies when the clarinet, horn, and
bassoon join. The simplicity of this movement adds a bit of calm before the grand and
climatic sixth movement.
In the finale, Schubert’s ensemble writing is so thickly textured that at times the eight
instruments sound like a symphony. The cello begins the Andante with an intense
tremolo, and throughout the finale’s opening, huge chords erupt without cadence as
Schubert eludes establishing a tonal center. As soon as the Allegro begins, however, it
is clear the remainder of the movement will be in the tonic key F major. Long lines of rapid
passage work add an element of virtuosity as Schubert approaches many anticipatory
endings before the ensemble finally comes together for a grand, heroic finish to this
monumental work.